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Predators think they can beat anyone right now. Can you blame them?

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Roman Josi scored twice as the Predators beat the Blackhawks 4-1 in Game 4 at home to complete the surprising sweep of the No. 1 seed.

The Nashville Predators didn’t just beat the Chicago Blackhawks. It wasn’t even that “close” of a sweep, with Chicago only scoring goals in two periods and a 13-3 goal disparity overall.

Despite it being the first time an eighth seed swept a top seed (according to Fox Sports Tennessee ... what a stat, right?), the Predators seemed to have at least some dark horse potential.

There were some rumblings about their potential, with Andrew Berkshire making some salient points for a Sportsnet preview:

They were horrible in the shootout and at three-on-three overtime, neither of which exist in the playoffs, and they struggled with their net empty when trailing. When it came to actually playing hockey, they were one of the best teams in the West, and their even strength play down the stretch was extremely strong. The West is wide open, all they need is Pekka Rinne to be league average.

Interesting. Still, after this sweep, the Predators aren’t denying their confidence. They’re taking the tone of a favorite rather than a scrappy underdog, and can you truly blame them for such swagger?

Amusingly, Ryan Ellis used basically the same exact phrasing, saying “we feel like we could beat anybody now.”

“We surprised a lot of people, but not ourselves,” Mike Fisher said, capturing a lot of the spirit.

Now, don’t take this as too much bulletin board material. They’re not puffing out their chests that much. Peter Laviolette, for example, supplied the more comfortable cliches.

Still, the winner of the Minnesota Wild - St. Louis Blues series has to expect a dialed-in opponent in the Predators.